There's been a lot of talk about the issue of sexual consent in response to the #MeToo movement. Much of this talk has focused on getting men to understand that obtaining consent is the right and respectful thing to do—a point that they increasingly appear to recognize and appreciate. However, something a lot of guys do not yet seem to realize is that focusing on consent can be worthwhile for at least one other reason: it has the potential to make sex even better. Here's why:

There’s a common tendency for people to think that, for men, sex is a purely physical act that’s largely devoid of emotion—but that’s not the case. A growing body of research finds that emotion plays a big role when it comes to men’s interest in and enjoyment of sex. In particular, wanting to feel wanted is something that men find to be a real turn-on.

As some evidence of this, consider a recent qualitative study of heterosexual men in relationships who were asked about the factors that both elicit and inhibit sexual desire. What the researchers found was that feeling desired by one’s partner was by far the biggest factor that affected men’s own interest in sex [1].

Feeling wanted is therefore something that most men appear to find sexually arousing. So how can you ensure that you feel wanted? Well, you need to be paying close attention to sexual consent because consent is the signal that your partner wants you as much as you want them.

In other words, in order to fulfill that longing to be desired, men must pay attention to cues of sexual consent. There are a lot of ways to do this, such as by verbally checking in from time to time (e.g., “How does that feel?”). Likewise, listening for moans and groans of pleasure can be another indicator of consent and, incidentally, this is something that men report as highly arousing in and of itself [2]. In addition, attending to facial expressions and body language can also signal consent (e.g., does the other person appear to be getting into it and enjoying themselves?).

In short, most men are turned on by feeling wanted, and consent is the key to determining whether your partner is into you. Sexual consent, then, is far more than just a way of showing care and respect for your partner—it’s also really sexy.

Sex And Psychology

Please help support Sex & Psychology! This site contains affiliate links to recommended books and products, which send a small commission back to help keep the site up and running and continue educating people around the world about sex.

order a copy of my new book, tell me what you want, and receive aN exclusive bonus. click the cover above to learn more!